Should Bradley Manning spend life behind bars because any 'enemy' on the internet could potentially access the intelligence he is alleged to have leaked?

It's an argument we hope to hear Judge Denise Lind reject during his next pretrial hearing, July 16-20th.1 If the judge upholds this argument, it will be another serious setback for Bradley and a troubling interpretation of law that could have serious ramifications for the future of whistleblowing, journalism and internet freedom.

As always, FDL's Kevin Gosztola will be at Ft. Meade, Maryland, bringing his unparalleled coverage of these historic court proceedings to the world -- but we need your help to get him there.

The information Bradley has been accused of leaking has had tremendous value to democracy movements around the world, and we should make sure future whistleblowers feel safe to follow suit.

Yet, in court, Bradley is portrayed as a criminal and a traitor for allegedly exposing the dark underbelly of the war on terror. Aside from a recent victory in which Judge Lind demanded the government prove it is providing the defense with fair access to exculpatory evidence, the government seems to have choreographed these court proceedings in hopes of convicting him with little backlash.

The scope and outcome of Bradley's proceedings will have a significant impact on whistleblowing rights moving forward; we cannot let these assaults on first amendment speech to go quietly unanswered.

The government's continued success in denying Manning's right to a full defense has been shocking, and it seems exposing the government's questionable tactics and arguments to public scrutiny has been one of the only means of pushing back. That's why Firedoglake needs your help to be there, reporting from Ft Meade and rallying the public's attention to this historic case.